Calm Harm App Helps Teens Cope with Urges to Self-Harm
This post generally discusses self-harm and suicide prevention.
As a therapist, I know that some people live with periodic thoughts of self-harm or suicidal ideation. It's a topic that doesn't get a lot of mainstream attention, likely due to how dark the subject matter is and how it forces many of us to come face-to-face with our feelings around mortality.
Often, thoughts of suicide and self-harm are characteristics associated with a diagnosed mental health condition, however that is not always the case. There can be a variety of circumstances that may lead someone to consider self-injurious behavior. Most often, however, it involves seeking relief from overwhelming negative emotions.
Self-harm is not a healthy choice and that is likely why Dr. Krause worked with developers to create Calm Harm app which helps those with thoughts of self-harm to practice healthier coping behaviors.
This UK-based app not only provides concrete, in the moment strategies to cope with urges to self-harm but also gives the user an opportunity to track their moods over time. This Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) based app is easy to use and can help reduce urges in the moment. It also provides resources within the app for those who may need further support.
Users can choose between four tracks to help them battle self-harm urges in the moment:
Comfort - which helps a person use care-taking skills
Distract - helps practice self-control by temporarily focusing on something other than the current thoughts of harm
Express - helps a person express difficult thoughts or feelings & connect with more balanced feelings
Release - otherwise provides safe alternative to self-injury
Calm Harm app is available for download for on Google Play and the iTunes store.
Helping the Helpers: Why Physicians Die by Suicide
As a culture, we often look at doctors as our everyday heroes. They are there for us in our most troubling times, helping us survive through disaster or helping us cope with the horrors of illness and what it means to be human. Doctors, in particular, have been a part of all our lives at some point. They helped us or our loved ones combat symptoms of an illness, heal our sick children and are typically the first of those around us to witness our grieving. What happens when doctors are the ones trying to battle through illness and grief themselves?
Why Physicians Die by Suicide: Lessons Learned from their Families and Others Who Cared by Dr. Michael Myers gives us insight into the realities of mental health issues in doctors. What we learn from this text is that those who are sworn by oath to "do no harm" often find themselves doing harm to themselves by not receiving adequate mental health care.
Surprisingly, there is a lot of stigma when it comes to doctors accessing professional mental health support. Whether it's therapy or medication, doctors can sometimes struggle to battle through the same stigma that the rest of us face when we encounter mental health challenges. In addition, since they are so heavily invested in the role of healer and problem solver, there is an added pressure to keep their mental health issues quiet, powering through in order to be the overachievers and perfectionists that school and training have often taught them to be. After all, in their professions lives are at stake daily. In Myers' estimation, it seems that doctors forget that their lives are at stake too.
In Why Physicians Die by Suicide: Lessons Learned from Families and Others Who Cared, Myers shares of his personal connection to suicide. He lost a young colleague, and roommate, by the name of Bill early on in his medical career to suicide. It's no doubt that this experience has influenced Myers' trajectory and passion about de-stigmatizing mental health issues for medical doctors. In his book, he also shares stories and vignettes from doctors and other family members of those who have dealt with depression and suicide. The anecdotes are staggering, and are reminiscent of some of the conversations I have with family members who have loved ones who struggle with thoughts of suicide.
It's difficult to talk about suicide in any context. Many therapists and mental health professionals struggle with that as well. This is exactly why we need a book like Why Physicians Die by Suicide. We have to continue to de-stigmatize the realities that people of all walks of life can be dealing with depressive thoughts and or suicidal thoughts and plans. Myers warns us that we also have to be particularly watchful of our doctors because they can often find very creative ways to mask their depression and other mental health challenges. As a therapist, this is an eye-opening text and will absolutely change the way that I think about my work with those in the helping professions who often find themselves giving so much to their clients and patients.
Why Physicians Die by Suicide: Lessons Learned from Families and Others Who Cared is available for purchase at most major book retailers such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
5 Self-Care Tips When You're in Recovery
Editor's note: This is a guest post from writer and pastor Steve Austin. This post discusses themes of suicide, recovery and self care.
When the police and paramedics opened the door, they pushed through the lounger, the kitchen and coffee tables, and found my body there, in the hotel room. I was lying on my back, covered in vomit. There was vomit on the bed, on the floor, and it had projected up the wall behind me and covered a massive picture that hung behind the bed. Those who found me thought it was a murder scene. Apparently the pink Benadryl pills, along with the tens of thousands of other milligrams of prescriptions and over-the-counter medications I took, made it look like blood. They thought I was dead and I should have been. I wanted to be. I had been unconscious nearly twelve hours.
The one flash I have of coming to was being transferred by the medical personnel from the gurney to the hospital bed. Everything was colored white except the navy of the nurses scrubs. I'm assuming it was in the ER. I remember them cutting my clothes off and it was all like a nightmare. I couldn't respond but I remember them counting "1...2...3..." before lifting me up and over. And what emotion do I remember from that? Shame. Ashamed of being naked. I had never been more vulnerable.
I couldn’t process all of this in that brief moment, but here I was, a failed minister, an embarrassment to anyone who ever cared about me, and I couldn’t even get a suicide right. The same thing happened when the male nurse came in the next day and I woke up in one of those momentary fogs. I wasn't worried about the pain of him ripping out the catheter. I had experienced far greater pain. It was the shame attached to being naked and having my penis touched by another man. A stranger.
After three days in ICU, the doctors decided my liver wasn’t going to fail, and I had regained feeling in my legs. I was released from ICU and immediately transferred to the psych ward. The psych ward. Me. The former worship leader. The youth pastor. The Christian radio host. The blogger. The ministry school graduate. The father. The husband. The outgoing one. The friendly one. The upbeat one. Me. I was sitting in a wheelchair, headed to the psych ward. And I stayed there for several days.
Since those darkest days, I’ve fought really hard to recover and learn to practice self-care daily. Here’s 5 ways to practice self-care during recovery:
Focus only on things that make you better
Especially in the early days of recovery, there is so much I can’t control. But I can always control how I take care of myself. I can respect my limits, fight distraction, and focus on recovery.
Remember, you are more than just a diagnosis
Labels are important, especially from a medical standpoint. They give us a plan of action. They show us a lot about our limits. They teach us which medications may help and what substances or situations to stay away from. But when we focus more on the label than the person behind it, a human being in need of love and belonging, we miss the point. And we miss an opportunity to live a full and meaningful life.
Don’t forget: hard days don’t last forever
Sometimes hard days mean I take an extra five minutes on a lunch break to hide in the server room at work and take a few deep breaths. If necessary, I am also not afraid to take medicine my doctor has prescribed specifically for those moments, or even take a “mental health day.” I’m not an advocate of hiding under the covers, but I also believe in knowing yourself well enough to acknowledge your limits.
You don’t owe anyone an apology for your story
When others don’t understand recovery from abuse, addiction, or a suicide attempt, they can make comments that seem to have a hidden meaning. Sometimes it’s intentional and sometimes it’s just plain ignorance. Either way, those jabs bring on shame. If I feel like someone thinks I should have my life more together than I actually do, I feel a need to say I’m sorry. But I don’t owe anyone an apology for my recovery. I don’t have to feel bad for having a hard day.
Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries
What do you do with the people in your life you can’t easily push away? Those who are permanent fixtures, those whom have both hurt you and been hurt by you? Maybe it’s parents or old friends. In my life, the answer to that question looks like checking in with them on my terms. I set the pace of our relationship now.If you have ever felt hopeless, if you have ever believed all the bad things in your life were beyond redemption, if you have ever felt unworthy of being loved or accepted, if you have ever feared what would happen if people found out whatever it is that haunts you — I get it. I have been there, too. Maybe you are recovering from abuse, addiction or a suicide attempt like me. Maybe you are struggling with anxiety or depression and don’t know why yet. Learning great self-care tools will help you begin to answer the question, “Now what?” Recovery isn’t easy. Self-care makes it possible.
One Man's Story of Suicide
Approximately every 40 seconds someone dies of suicide around the world (source).
As a therapist, I've worked with clients who struggle with thoughts of suicide. Some even have histories of attempts. When you feel like you're constantly engulfed in the shadow of depression and hopelessness, suicide can appear to be a viable option to escape the pain and emotional turmoil. Feelings of isolation and loneliness can further attribute to the risk of suicide. Helping people work through that pain and isolation is one of the reasons I've decided to become a therapist and why I find it to be such fulfilling work.It's not often that people let us see behind the curtain of suicide, especially not in a very public forum like YouTube. When I stumbled upon the video titled "My Suicide Story" by vlogger Travis Bryant, I was struck by his honesty and willingness to share so much of his story publicly. I felt that many of you out there might be able to relate to his story of coming out and coping with thoughts of hopelessness and suicide.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, there are resources that you can reach out to that can help you RIGHT NOW. Here are a few that I think you might find helpful:
National Suicide Prevention Line: 1.800.273.8255
Trevor Project (LGBT youth and young adults): 1.866.488.7386
LIFENET (New York City): 1.800.543.3638
Trans Lifeline (for trans & gender non-conforming adults): 1.877.565.8860 (USA), 1.877.330.6366 (Canada)
You can watch Travis' story below.
Shedding Light on Suicide: Building Hope and Sharing Resources
Almost 30,000 people in the United States commit suicide each year. Unfortunately, people with serious mental health conditions resort to suicide often as a way to alleviate crippling emotional pain. If you are struggling with thoughts of death and suicidal thoughts, here are some tips that may help:
1. Help is only a click (or phone call) away.
There are many local and national helplines that can help you if you are having suicidal thoughts. First off, if you feel danger is imminent 911 is the best resource. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 is a great resource that will help link you with local resources no matter where you live in the United States. Those local in New York City can call Lifenet that offers both English (1-800-LIFENET) and Spanish (1-877-298-3373) support lines. LGBT specific helpline support is available via The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386. And if you identify as a member of the trans community, there is another great resource called the Trans Lifeline that can be reached at 877-565-8860 in the United States and 877-330-6366 in Canada.
2. Stay the course.
If you have been prescribed medications for mental health conditions like depression, then continue to take them. Do not stop any prescribed medications unless otherwise directed to by a physician or psychiatrist. If you feel like these medications are posing some risk to you or have unbearable side effects, contact your prescriber immediately or visit a local emergency room if you feel that need is urgent.
3. Seek out professional, ongoing support.
Continue to utilize therapy or find ongoing support from a therapist. Suicidal thoughts can be very difficult to deal with, especially alone. Seek out a professional, licensed therapist to help you work through your immediate feelings and develop a plan that helps you battle your thoughts and move toward a healthier and more satisfied life. This professional can also provide ongoing support to help you work through any underlying issues or concerns you may be having.
4. Remind yourself your are not alone.
Suicidal thoughts can be very isolating and it's very difficult to share with others what you may be experiencing internally, especially if there is outside pressure to be happy or to act a certain way, which is common in many cultures. In those dark moments, gently remind yourself that many others have thoughts of suicide and there is hope for you. There is another way to get through the pain.For more information about suicide prevention please consult with any of the resources linked above. Also, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has a great FAQ page if you or a loved one are experiencing thoughts of suicide.